Hanoj

The TVs in the staterooms are part of the ship’s emergency notification system. It appears Bluetooth and other system features have been disabled - I saw no way to access set up from the remote nor did I readily see any USB or other ports. Is there a work around? Probably, there always (think of those with skills to access residential electricity without a meter showing usage) is, but you may want to see what your ticket contract about damages for such use. Can you imagine the headache for staff to have to regularly reconfigure tv settings in the staterooms for guest change overs? I was finally able to speak to the IT Manager. The TVs in the LYNC Digital Center apparently can be used for video games, etc. This is our 8th day aboard Vista and we’ve yet to see a minor. Suppose the Digital Center be used by kids if they we aboard.

We’re presently onboard Vista for our first cruise with Oceania and are aware of the incentives to booking future cruises before disembarking (two days ago my wife won the $250 OBC raffle while attending the future voyages presentation), especially since our cruise ends August 30. But although the ability to avoid a $300 admin fee by booking a future cruise now seems a riskless decision, I’m not willing to invest in all emotion and anticipation booking a cruise entails. We’re not sure we’ll cruise again with Oceania (nor are we ready to rule it out), nor are we certain we’ll cruise again with any line as there are enough differences compared to our experiences prior to the shutdowns that give us pause which now favor other types of travel. With regards to future cruising with Oceania, there are several factors we’ll be monitoring, especially apparent trends towards missing ports for dubious reasons and shortening port durations compared to published itineraries at time of booking.

Red Ginger: we ate there tonight for the first time. I’m not a Pan Asian enthusiast since avoiding soy allergens is more challenging with this cuisine type. But I submitted my request ahead of time as directed and had quite possibly our best ever meal at sea. I preselected items from the menu least likely to require adaptations by the chefs: caramelized tiger prawns, Asian greens with peanut dressing, and ribeye steak with a side of organic brown rice. The ribeye was cooked perfectly medium as I ordered and tasted delectable, if a bit thinly cut (supply or cost cutting issue?).

Which to me makes simply MORE, simply less value.

So Oceania will soon be charging a nonrefundable booking fee.

So . . . we had hoped to get a tender pass in the Vista Lounge this morning to go ashore but the cancellation announcement came before we headed down. Instead we went to the Vista Lounge for the Future Voyages Presentation and my wife won the $250 OBC raffle! My cynical sarcasm was a way for me to vent. I let my disappointment go before leaving my stateroom and greeted everyone, whether guest or crew, with a smile and gracious word. I am grateful. Gratitude is bliss. My “missing more” pun was largely due to what appears may be a trend, disturbing to this traveler if borne out, of missing ports and shortening durations.

“This is your captain. Due to the overwhelming success of the newly introduced Simply More marketing campaign (designed to drive away cruise only freeloaders), I announce our new port intensive program Missing More! (designed to drive away DIY and private tour freeloaders).” Presently on Vista and we just missed Stornoway due to “sea swells and weather” making tendering unsafe. I’m not qualified to assess the veracity of this reason given, but I have no loss of sarcasm for expressing my disappointment. I saw the harbor pilot leave the ship after heading back out of the port after we had entered the port and stopped (though I don’t think anchors were dropped). The sea appeared calmer than both Newhaven (Edinburgh) and Kirkwall, also tendering ports. I’ve read numerous comments about concerns over dubious reasons communicated for missing ports on Oceania itineraries. If someone wishes to provide independent information supporting this instance, I’m open to giving O the benefit of the doubt, but this is our first O cruise and they now have the ignoble honor of achieving our first missed port in 40 days of cruising. Coupled with noting 6 hours of reduced port time (across 3 of 10 scheduled calls) per the itinerary published in Currents compared to when booking the cruise (June 2023), I won’t be visiting the O Ambassador about booking any future cruise while onboard.

We also enjoyed Ember (day 3). Table for two at 6:30 pm. We each ordered the beef tenderloin and ours were also cooked perfectly medium. Our waiter asked us to check if it was cooked to our liking before leaving our table. Restaurant manager also came by and enquired about our satisfaction. The staff were very attentive and eager to please. We liked the ambiance and it wasn’t too loud, though the restaurant was not full. We would definitely go back!

Interestingly, we are day two into our first Oceania cruise and we are already thinking about looking into returning to Viking. It’s not a particularly relevant comparison since we have only sailed with Viking and not since 2019, but it is our only frame of reference. Also interesting is the first three guests aboard Vista we struck up conversations with prefer Regent but chose this particular cruise because of the new ship, this particular British Isles itinerary, or both. I’ve been looking into Regent. Whichever way we go for future cruising I doubt we will be loyal to any one line.

We are US customers and never received luggage tags nor did our TA. The terminal (Southampton, UK) had tags and we watched as they were secured to our luggage and all pieces were delivered to our stateroom.

Room service and cabin attendants have been very attentive. We have a travel WaterPik (120v US plug) and the only outlet in the bathroom is 120v European style. We called housekeeping last night and there was an adapter installed after our attendant made up our room this morning!

We wanted something quick and easy for dinner last night and had an excellent pizza at Waves. I have a wheat allergy and they were very accommodating and the gluten free crust was as good as the best we’ve had on land and better than most. DW could have ordered her own pizza on normal crust but she was willing to have GF. She thought it was excellent too. The waiter suggested we could order different toppings for each 1/2 so we did. We got to the venue about 15 minutes early thinking we might be turned away since not yet open, but the waiter said we could be seated and even brought us water while we waited. He promptly took our order at 6:30. Service was excellent.

Hi Miriam. I see we’re losing a total of 6 hours port time across 3 of 10 ports compared to the scheduled itinerary when booking this cruise. One hour less each morning at Kirkwall, Dublin, and Portland and three hours less evening time in Dublin.

Boarded about 2.5 hours ago, expecting access to our B3 stateroom in about 30 minutes. We are enjoying a break in the weather in loungers on deck 14. Outdoor areas have considerable black exhaust soot that has the crew very active cleaning. We got covers for the loungers from one of the crew - he offered. Ship arrived in port yesterday morning. There were thunderstorms overnight but the outdoor areas are drying nicely. We had a nice lunch in the Aquamar Kitchen with delightful pumpkin spice cappuccinos made with Laird superfoods and oat milk (as an alternative to dairy). We used the pickle ball court and the wind makes for interesting play. We had good laughs just practicing. Attached is a photo of a broken pane on deck 16 aft just beyond the golf driving range. Can’t help wonder if club slipped someone’s grip. Vista is beautiful. The colors are lighter and brighter than the impressions I formed from photos and videos. I’m posting using my cellular plan. Don’t know what to expect once we are underway and we will only have one Wi-Fi access.

If you desire past information, I recommend: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/usa/portland-or/climate Once you find your destination, using the Yesterday/Past Weather opens a new window that has the ability to "select month" in the upper right hand corner. You can see extensive past data.

It appears the gap is April 30-May 17, 2024 according to O's website since there is a sailing disembarking in Venice April 29, 2024 and the next embarkation is May 18, 2024 in Barcelona.

@maxamize The thoroughness and balanced quality of your review merits conveying in a letter to Oceania. Like @Sthrngary my wife and are too "soon to be NEW Oceania Guests" (though by modifying my expectations it won't be "too soon" 😎 since we sail Vista embarking August 18, 2023) so other CC members may have recommendations where to send a letter and to whom it is best addressed. Views you expressed, particularly in areas where improvement is warranted, concur with my expectations. It appeared your dining experience comments were primarily about evening meals. Do you have comments about breakfasts and lunches? Also, did you order room service?

Or the allegedly tasteless cookies, which do have an “S,” on O’s ships.

Pinto for my first drive. This way I could have more time enjoying the views. Also, better chance of an unexpected stop for a picnic due to a breakdown. 😎

We disembark Vista in Southampton August 30, 2023 with Oceania transfer to LHR purchased for $79 pp. We did not purchase airfare through O. We are scheduled to arrive two days before embarking in Southampton and purchased National Express from LHR tickets for £47.00 total for the two of us (this includes the £10.00 to allow schedule change). Since we plan to fly back to the US the same day as disembarking we didn’t want to hassle with getting from the cruise terminal to the bus station to save a few quid.

I have no experience with this, though I have read enough comments on various CC threads for several different lines and from private tour operators out of Holyhead, suggesting it happens with some frequency. Some of the tour operators offer excursions into North Wales from Liverpool.

Ditto for us on Vista British Isles Splendors embarking Aug. 18, 2023. Holyhead, Wales is included in the itinerary and is often missed due to rough seas, so I have adjusted my expectations. Ports integrity (including making and time in) is the most important criteria, cetaris paribus, for us regarding whether we book again with Oceania. We booked our cruise June 2. 2023 and considered booking future "cruise only" sailings before SM went into affect July 1 but didn't, primarily over concerns arising form comments in this forum about skipped ports for dubious reasons. Oceania has one opportunity to gain repeat business from us.

I wouldn't move to "A" class just for the free laundry. $750 would buy plenty of laundry service. A concierge class stateroom for our Vista cruise later this month was going to be a $1000 higher fare. We plan to pay for laundry service as needed and will save most of the lower fare cost.

The ones that aren’t missed.🫢

How are “jeans” defined? By material (denim) or pant design? They’re a 5 pocket style pants (with and without rivets) made from exactly the same material as chinos. The only difference is often in the pockets design.